President’s Message – August 2017

“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”
Warren Bennis

The relevancy of the above quote from Warren Bennis is particularly significant this month due to the work being put into PROCESS EXPO. In an effort to make the show more pertinent, meaningful, and exciting for show attendees, you – the members – in conjunction with association leadership, provided a vision for the show which has resulted in significant upgrades. The following illustrates just a few of those “visionary ideas” that will bring PROCESS EXPO to a new level.

First, “Virtual Reality” is coming to PROCESS EXPO. One of our key enhanced show floor activities this year will be the opportunity for attendees to experience exhibitors' equipment in a virtual reality environment. Eight exhibitors will be showcasing their equipment in the show's first ever Virtual Reality Showroom. Show attendees will get their first taste of this innovative technology before they even arrive at the show floor when they see the VR display on McCormick's Grand Concourse. I am pleased to say that “Virtual Reality ” is currently included in only 10% of tradeshows, and PROCESS EXPO will be one of the leaders in our field to demonstrate and provide this technology to our audience.

Second, equally exciting at PROCESS EXPO will be the inclusion of not one but three separate working production lines on the show floor that will incorporate actual meat and bakery food products. These lines will be the first ever for PROCESS EXPO and will feature live demonstrations three times each day. We know that attendees will value the opportunity to witness actual “live” production as well as the opportunity to ask equipment experts about their specific machinery and product applications. We anticipate the product lines will be a popular destination during the show and thank the participating exhibitors who have made this possible through their extensive collaboration.

Third, the newly created FPSA Women's Council, which has been formed to provide knowledge and strategies and to facilitate positive transformation for women in the food and beverage industry, will be hosting a free networking breakfast starting at 7:30am on Thursday, September 21st. Jane Grote Abell, Chairwoman of the Board of Donatos Pizza, will provide attendees with insights on how to achieve professional and personal success. For more information on how to register for the breakfast, click here.

Fourth, for show attendees who are “first timers” at PROCESS EXPO, we have initiated a new and special feature to help ensure that they are not only welcomed but provided with essential information on all aspects of the show, as well as a guided tour of the show floor. New attendees will be given an insider's view of the show's activities, educational sessions, demonstrations, and networking opportunities which will enhance their show experience.

I want to point out that all of these new enhanced show floor activities, and many others, originated from PROCESS EXPO exhibitors and I am deeply grateful for these contributions which will serve to significantly strengthen our show. And yet, there's still more work to do.

For your part, you can “invite your customers to the show.” I cannot stress enough to you how important this is to the success of PROCESS EXPO. Attendees go to shows and to your booth in particular because you invited them to come and visit you on the show floor. We want you to have a profitable experience at PROCESS EXPO and collect as many qualified leads as possible to build your business. We can help you make that happen. Use the new PROCESS EXPO marketing toolkit. A number of the tools are customized so you can include your company name, booth number and a code to invite your customers to come for FREE. In addition, our Exhibitor Invites program allows you to invite as many of your customers as you would like to attend the show. It's free for exhibitors and easy to use and you can start this process by signing up here.

Research indicates that approximately 45 days before a show opens is the perfect time to send out invites. And, did you know that past data from our shows reveals that those exhibitors who used the invite program generated 50% more leads than exhibitors who didn't use it. For more information on how we can help you with this important program please don't hesitate to contact Gregory Dykstra at gdykstra@fpsa.org or (703) 663-1207 with any questions or to provide you with any assistance.

I believe it is more than fair to say because of your vision and the ability to turn your ideas into reality that PROCESS EXPO is “no longer your father's same old tradeshow.” Thank you for your enthusiasm, energy, and labors to introduce and put in place many new and exciting features into our show.

As always, never hesitate to contact me with any questions or requests on how we can help make your show and association experience the best it can be. See you soon in Chicago.